Darkness Overpowers Us
by BlueSteelLove1207
Summary: Dean and Sam take on a simple salt-and-burn. On the case they encounter a family with a dark secret. Will the Winchesters be able to help the two young boys escape the terror that follows them everywhere they go? Warning: child abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Hey, Dean, I think I found one," Sam turned his laptop towards his brother who was sitting on the bed mindlessly flipping through the ten year old television.

"Yeah? What is it?" Dean asked looking up from the TV to look at his Sam.

Sam's computer showed news story from a town called Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. "So, three days ago there was an 'accidental death' at a small farmhouse where a woman fell over the third floor balcony and died on impact…"

"Yeah, no crap she died," Sam chose to ignore Dean's smart remark and continued describing the hunt.

Another tab was pulled up as Sam showed Dean more research. "About six months ago the previous owner hired a carpenter to fix the balcony after he apparently 'fell' and broke it."

"Fell? Sure, more like some crazy ghost pushed his ass…" Sam let out a sigh of frustration and again pulled up a new webpage.

" Five years before that, the seventeen year old son of the family residing in the house committed suicide by tying a noose around his neck and jumping off the same balcony. Joshua Smith's family was gone a weekend trip and he was left to look after the farm, so no one found his body for three days. There's a picture…it's pretty grisly."

Dean let out a low whistle and walked over to the table Sam was sitting at. "Let me see."

"No, Dean. You don't need to see the picture."

"C'mon man, it's for research."

"Research my ass, you're like a child. You do not need to see the picture."

"Well, I'm older. Now, show me the damn picture," Sam irritably enlarged the picture and showed it to Dean, who just stared at the black and white photo of the rotting corpse of the boy hanging from the wooden banister of the white farmhouse.

"That's just nasty. So, we're what…ninety percent positive this Joshua Smith is the angry spirit who's trying to off people by pushing them over the balcony?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, and even better, he's buried in the family cemetery located on the property."

"Nice; salt, burn, then hit the road. I want to hunt something badass like a vampire or something. When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning? It'll take all day to get there. We can get a motel, grab some sleep, and get to the farmhouse by Thursday morning."

"Perfect, gives me time to head to the bar and find myself a pretty woman," Dean said with a wry smile. He went to his bag, grabbed a fresh pair of clothes, and began to make his way to the bathroom.

"Yeah, whatever just make sure you're ready to go by eight tomorrow morning. I want to get an early start."

"Sure you don't wanna come Sammy? Find a lady, get some loving? Huh? Huh?" Dean nodded in Sam's direction, his eyebrows raised in excitement.

"It's Sam, and no I'm fine Dean, really. Go have fun," Sam replied, shaking his head and turning back to his computer.

"Oh, I will," Dean remarked making his way into the bathroom and shutting the door with a loud chuckle.

***

The black Chevy Silverado raced down the dark back road, the high beams reflecting eerily off the trees that lined either side of the street. Nathan was gazing intently at the endless darkness of the woods as the truck moved steadily forward. Even though he had accompanied his father on a number of hunts the fifteen year old still felt chills course through his body as he imagined what horrors lurked in those woods on nights like these.

Nathan turned around to check on his younger brother. He sighed contently when he noticed that the boy was for once sleeping contently in the backseat, his small body curled protectively around the red sweatshirt Nathan let him use as a makeshift blanket. Nathan couldn't remember the last time Noah had slept contently, or even through the entire night for that matter. _It just wasn't fair,_ Noah thought as he watched the nine year old's light brown, wavy hair fall over the closed eyelids as he repositioned himself, found a comfortable position, and regained the steady breathing of a peaceful sleep.

Turning back around in his seat, Nathan caught a glimpse of his father before training his eyes on the road in front of the truck. Matt Carmichael was a foreboding man to say the least. At 6'5" he towered over nearly everyone and his almost black eyes were completely cold as they stared out of the windshield of the vehicle. His huge hand had the steering wheel in a death grip proving that the man was never content, even while performing the most mediocre task of driving a truck down a relatively calm country road. Hard muscles covered every inch of his body and his dark hair helped spread a shadow of unease over anyone who came in his vicinity.

Nathan vaguely remembered his father as the caring, fun man he used to be before everything started. He vaguely remembered tossing a small football around the small backyard of their townhouse with the man he saw as his hero. He vaguely remembered hearing his father excitedly talk to his mother, Lyla, about the baby boy that was growing inside her belly. But most of those happy memories were overshadowed by the dark ones: Matt crying in his bedroom about how he could never love the bastard child who killed his loving wife in childbirth, Nathan sleeping with his baby brother to protect him from their angry father, Nathan taking the hits that were meant for the small toddler. Finally, Matt decided to return to hunting, which was what he did before he met Lyla. Nathan remembers Matt packing up their things and unceremoniously throwing the two boys into their car and driving away from their house forever. The father he once knew disappeared when their mother died and was replaced by a cold-hearted hunter. Nathan only knew that he had to protect Noah as best as he could from their abusive father because he was his brother and it wasn't his fault their mom had died.

Things weren't too bad at the beginning. Most of the time Matt would drop the boys off at friends' houses as he hunted; the boys grew up this way, without a mother and without a father. Until one terrible night when Noah was five and Nathan was eleven. Noah had a nightmare that the man they were staying with was stabbed on his way home from the store. A few days later it came true.

Matt tried to end it. Beating the boy didn't do anything to end the nightmares, but it helped take out the frustration Matt felt at the life he was living. Nathan sheltered the boy too much. He tried to tell his father that Noah was more sensitive to emotions and feelings and being surrounded by negative energy made him feel sick and weak, but Matt didn't care, he hit the boy anyways and Nathan was powerless to stop it. Matt began a ruthless training schedule for Nathan, but the older Carmichael didn't take to training well and was constantly aware of his father's hovering presence, ready to punish him for one wrong mood. Noah barely talked anymore.

Matt caught a glimpse of his oldest son fidgeting around in his seat, "What the hell do you want Nathan?" Matt growled.

Nathan quickly looked up and glanced over at his father, "Ummm…what are we hunting next?"

"That was your question? You had to muster up enough balls to ask _that _question, you pussy?" Matt shook his head in disgust, "For your information, we're going on a simple salt-and-burn since someone can't even kill a fucking werewolf yet."

Nathan looked down at his hands dejectedly. The werewolf they had hunted a few days before almost escaped after Nathan failed to shoot the wolf. Matt had shot the creature just before it ran into the woods, and because of Nathan's inability to react towards the wolf, Matt had laid into the boy when they had returned back to the motel that night.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again," Nathan muttered.

"You better believe it won't," Matt hissed.

"Where are we headed to?" Nathan quietly asked a few long minutes later.

"Willow Grove, Pennsylvania."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, I'm new to this, so it's taking me some time to figure this system out. I just want to say that I unfortunately I do not own the boys or Supernatural…Erik Kripke and the CW does. I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's a little darker and more depressing…I don't really know why I wanted to write this story, but it's been in my head for a while now, and I just wanted to get it on paper. Though, I am getting a lot of more ideas for it, and I am really starting to love the characters. So, read and enjoy. **

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 2**

The Carmichaels pulled into the relatively deserted parking lot of the run-down motel. Matt cut the engine and paused before he got out of the truck. "I'm going to get a room. Get your brother out of the truck and grab the duffels," he muttered before exiting the car and making his way over to the motel's office. Nathan dutifully got out of the truck and opened the back door. He boosted himself onto the seat, reached over towards Noah, and gently began to wake him.

"Hey, wake up, Buddy," Nathan said tenderly running his hands through his brother's hair. A low chuckle made its way out of Nathan's throat as he watched Noah slowly open his eyes and glance confusedly around the truck until his eyes found Nathan's face. "Hey, you…We're at the motel, ready to go inside?"

Noah slowly shook his head up and down and slid out of the seat after Nathan moved out of the way. Nathan placed a hand on Noah's shoulder as he leaned in to grab the two beige duffel bags that were pushed under the seats. As he turned around he caught Noah trying his best to stifle a huge yawn; it was almost eleven and the kid was dead on his feet.

"C'mon, Dad probably has the keys by now," Nathan told Noah as he pulled the boy closer to him and allowed his brother to lean against his side. Noah wrapped his small arms around Nathan's torso; the red sweatshirt still tightly grasped in his hands, and attempted to keep his eyes open as they began walking towards the motel's office.

Just then, Matt agitatedly walked out of the office with a key in hand. He took one look at his boys, stormed over, and tore Noah off of Nathan. Matt held the boy's arm in a tight grip as he pulled the boy closer to his face. "Boy, you are nine years old; you're old enough to walk ten damn steps to the hotel room without the help of your bitch brother," he yelled. Matt roughly pushed the boy away and began walking towards their room. "Move it!" he screamed.

Nathan turned towards Noah, his heart contracting as he saw his younger brother silently shaking, tears threatening to spill down his face. "Are you okay?" Nathan asked, lightly rubbing a hand up and down the arm his father had harshly grabbed attempting to alleviate some of the pain Nathan knew Noah was currently experiencing. Nathan had to look closely to see the slight nod Noah gave as he continued to look down at the worn sidewalk. Reaching over to wipe away the few tears that had slipped from Noah's eyes, Nathan squeezed his shoulder then gently pushed him in the direction Matt had gone.

***

Later that night, Nathan woke to the sound of whimpering coming from beside him in the bed. Sighing softly he turned towards Noah who was tangled in a mess of beige sheets, sweat gleaming on his forehead. Nathan propped himself up on his elbow, and began trying to awaken his brother from the nightmare.

"Wake up, Noah, you can do it," comforted Nathan. He spared a brief second from trying to wake his frightened brother to glance over at Matt who was sleeping in the bed next to them. Praying his father wouldn't wake up, Nathan turned his attention back to Noah. "Hey, you have to wake up now. Just open your eyes and everything will go away. I'm right here," Nathan continuously reassured.

Finally, pale eyelids lifted over frightened brown eyes. For a minute Noah began panicking until his found his brother. "N-Nathan," Noah cried as he quickly found shelter in the protective arms of his brother. Nathan's arms tightened, he combed a hand through Noah's hair and whispered comforting words in his ear.

"What the hell is going on?" The sudden arrival of Matt's angry voice and the arrival of light startled the two boys out of their own caring world. Before Nathan could even react, Matt stormed out of bed and rushed over to his two sons and tore the younger boy from Nathan's arms.

"Did you have another dream you little freak?" Matt yelled as he shook the nine year old he held in his tight grip. "What did you dream about this time, huh? Tell me!" Noah just stared at him with wide fearful eyes, unable to find the voice he rarely used to obey his father. "What? Are you too stupid to talk now? We'll just have to change that now won't we?"

Matt roughly tossed Noah facedown on the bed and reached over towards the bed to snatch the leather belt that lay threateningly across the bedside table. Nathan had watched the confrontation frozen in fear, but the sight of the belt tore him from his stupor. He jumped off the bed and took hold of his father's arm before Matt was able to strike Noah.

"Dad, no! He's just a kid! Please don't do this!" Nathan shouted. Noah was only nine; he shouldn't have to deal with the constant threat of getting beat just for having a nightmare.

"What the hell?" Matt yelled when Nathan had run over. Matt released Noah and turned to get Nathan off of him. A very brief struggle ensued, but Matt's height and strength overpowered Nathan in a minute. Nathan gasped in pain as he felt Matt's hand connect with his face.

"You little shit!" screamed Matt as he violently threw Nathan into the T.V. stand. Nathan's back painfully hit the wooden stand and forced the boy to the ground. A few seconds later Nathan's torso felt as if it were on fire as Matt's foot struck his ribcage again and again.

When he was positive his oldest son wouldn't get in his way again, Matt turned back to Noah, who up until a second ago was sitting on the bed fearfully watching Nathan's attack. Seeing his father turn to him, Noah began backing up in attempt to escape the man, but Matt was faster. He grabbed hold of Noah's leg and forcefully pulled him back. With one quick motion Matt flipped Noah onto his stomach and held him down by his neck. Noah began hyperventilating as he fearfully waited for the incoming blows. His stomach lurched as he heard the whistling sound the belt made before the leather made contact with his back. Noah tried not to cry out in pain, but the sudden pain of the hit caught him in surprise and forced a gasp to escape.

After the first stroke, Nathan tried to stand and help his brother, but his father stopped him before he even moved a foot.

"Nathan, if you don't sit your pathetic ass down I will make this ten times worse for him!" At the sound of Matt's threat, Nathan acquiesced and sat back down, biting back a sob as he saw his little brother scrunch his eyes in pain.

Thankfully, the beating didn't last long, but tears still showed on the red and enflamed face of the young boy. Throughout the entire ordeal, not once did Nathan's eyes leave those of his brother. Matt stood straight and threw the belt against the wall which caused Nathan to jump. He wiped sweat off his brow, grabbed his jacket and keys, and walked to the door of the motel room. He hesitated for a brief second, then without turning to his boys growled, "You two better be in bed by the time I get back or so help me God, when I get through with you, you won't be able to recognize each other," and with that he left the room with an angry slamming of the door.

Nathan immediately got to his feet, ignoring the searing pain in his chest and back and quickly went to Noah who was still lying facedown on the bed, sobs tearing through the little boy's body. Gently, Nathan lifted his baby brother from the bed and held him close, slowly rocking him back and forth, Noah's head resting on his chest and his small hands clinging tightly to Nathan's shirt.

"I'm sorry, Noah. I'm sorry," Nathan took a deep breath trying to calm himself, willing the tears to stay at bay. He had to stay strong and tough for this brother. It might give him that much more comfort and hope while dealing with the pain they both dealt with on a daily basis. Though, the emotional and physical abuse was slowly wearing Nathan down, and it felt as if he were running on fumes; however, he was sure Noah felt ten times worse.

After a few minutes of simply holding his weeping brother, Nathan placed a caring hand on the back of Noah's head and began talking, "Noah, can you look at me please?" Nathan asked. With a watery sigh Noah lifted his tearstained face up to his brother. The defeated look in Noah's eyes broke Nathan's heart. "I have to check your back Buddy. I'm sorry, but I have to make sure you're okay. Understand?" A few tears ran down Noah's face, but he faintly shook is head up and down. Unfortunately, the boy was used to this routine.

Nathan leaned Noah closer into him and cautiously pulled up Noah's pajama shirt, being careful of the bruising he knew was quickly appearing. Though, what he saw was definitely not what he expected. _Dad must've hit him harder than I thought_, Nathan thought when he saw not only bruises and welts, but a few open scratches covering Noah's back.

"Okay, we have to get you cleaned up," Nathan said. "Let's get you to the bathroom," Noah immediately began crying again. "Hey, kiddo, it's not that bad. You just have a few scratches that need cleaned up that's all. I'll make it all better," comforted Nathan as Noah once again leaned into his chest.

Nathan placed Noah's arms around his neck immediately feeling the boy's grip tighten as Nathan wrapped his own arms under Noah and lifted them both in a standing position. A sharp pain shot through Nathan's side as the rapid movement and added weight aggravated his own injuries. Nathan let out a light gasp and took a few seconds catch his breath before beginning to walk in the direction of the bathroom.

Noah cried while his back was cleaned, he cried as he watched his older brother patch himself up, Nathan's chest and back covered with vast purplish bruises. Noah cried as Nathan wrapped him in the red sweatshirt he coveted so much, and he cried as he lay in bed, Nathan's arms surrounding him in warmth and love, protecting him from the terrors of his life. After what seemed like ages, Noah began slipping into unconsciousness, his hands tangled in Nathan's shirt, his brother's arms around him, listening to the soothing voice of his brother repeating, "It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay, I'm here." That comforting voice lulled him into a dreamless sleep, allowing himself to believe the words Nathan spoke because Nathan would always do his best to protect him.

**Hey guys! Sorry the boys weren't in this chapter, but I promise they will be in the next one. Maybe I'll throw in some shirtless Dean action in the next few chapters to make up for the lack of boys in this chapter…Reviews are always awesome! Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, just to let you know, Lilith/Alistair/ any other crazy demons that were after the boys were defeated. Sam and Dean prevented the apocalypse…yay!!! I don't want to get into any details in this story about how that happened because I don't care and it really has no impact on the story, but it will be mentioned. Please enjoy, and sorry this chapter is shorter than the other ones.**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 3:**

The Carmichaels pulled up to the abandoned farmhouse early the next morning. Noah was sitting quietly in the backseat, gazing out the window, but his attention was soon grabbed by his father's loud voice. Matt cut the power, turned towards Nathan, and roughly grabbed his son's arm, "Now, you will do everything I say. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," Nathan said obediently while trying not to grimace at the pain shooting up his arm.

"Good. Now, this case is child's play. Any idiot could do this case with their eyes closed, but you're no normal idiot are you? You just better hope you don't fuck this one up or you're going to be sore for a month. You got that, boy?"

"Yes, sir," Nathan said. Matt roughly let go of Nathan's arm and turned to exit the truck, though he was stopped by the sound of tires on gravel. Quickly, all the Carmichaels and the family quickly turned around in their seats to look at the incoming vehicle.

"Now, who the hell is this?'" Matt growled.

***

"I thought you said this place was deserted?" Dean asked as he pulled off the back country road and onto the farm's property.

"I did," Sam said as he continued to type on his laptop.

"Then why is there a truck here?" Dean asked pointing to the tan truck parked in front of the house. Sam looked up to look at the vehicle parked in the driveway.

Dean pulled the Impala up beside the truck, put the car in park, and stepped out of the vehicle. Sam followed his brother and they both began walking towards the truck.

Dean saw a tall man get out of the truck and turn to face the Winchesters.

"Hey, who are you two?" The man said.

"I'm Dean Brady and this is Sam Johnson. Who're you?" Dean asked the man in an authoritative voice.

The man glanced at the Winchesters, looked at the Impala, then turned to stare at the boys again, disbelief in his eyes.

"Bull-shit, you're Winchesters aren't you, John Winchester's sons?"

"Yeah, we are. Who the hell are you and how do you know our father?" Sam asked in a surprised voice.

"Well, I didn't know him personally, but every hunter knows about the Winchesters and their fancy Impala. I'm Matt Carmichael." Dean caught the sight of two boys getting out of the truck before he turned back to Matt.

"Hey, yeah we've heard of you," Dean said reaching over to shake the man's hand. "You just took care of a werewolf problem in Ohio didn't you?"

"Huh, yeah we did." Matt said suppressing a frown. "So, what are you two doing up here? I thought the two guys that prevented the apocalypse would be into something a little scarier than an angry spirit."

"Yeah, well, we were just passing through and decided, hell, why not? Besides, we needed a break from demons for a while," Sam replied.

"Are you working on this case too?" Dean asked nodding towards the farmhouse.

"Yeah, been training my boy to be a hunter," he said. "Hey, boys, get over here. These are my boys, Nathan and Noah. Boys these two men are Sam and Dean Winchester, some of the greatest hunters out there."

"Nice to meet you," Nathan shook the two men's hands. Noah just hid behind his brother, one hand in the belt loop of Nathan's jeans, keeping a hand on his brother at all times.

"Noah, say hello," Matt ordered.

"Hi," Noah saidin a small voice before looking down at the ground again.

"Kid's a damn mute. I can't get him to talk half the time," Matt said with a small laugh. Sam and Dean both glanced at each other and gave nervous laughs of their own. Dean looked at the boys. Something was off about them, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"So, do you need any help?" Sam asked. "We're here. We can help if you need it."

"Yeah, we'd love it. These kid's drive me crazy. It'd be nice to have some real company for a change. Besides, maybe you could give Nathan here some pointers. Believe me, he is not a natural when it comes to hunting."

Sam quickly threw a pitiful glance Nathan's way who glanced down at the ground at the mention of his hunting skills. Sam had hated hunting when he was younger. Maybe Nathan just didn't enjoy it; plus, how bad could he possibly be? He seemed like a he could be a capable hunter.

"Sure, we'd love to help." Dean replied.

"Great, so where were you boys heading first?" Matt asked.

"Well, we thought we'd check out the balcony, just to see if there's any EVP there."

"Sounds like a plan. Boy, are you listening to this?" Matt gave a hard look in Nathan's direction.

"Yes, sir," Nathan said in response to Matt, who nodded .

"Good."

With that, the group entered the house, Nathan and Noah going last. Nathan thought the Winchesters looked nice enough, but they were hunters. Nathan had met hunters before and even if they looked nice, they were all tough and ready to attack at any moment. He just hoped he wouldn't have to protect Noah from the wrath of three grown men if worse came to worse. Nathan prayed that the hunt went well; who knew what would happen if he screwed up on this hunt.

**So, I really hate this chapter, but it was really difficult to introduce Sam and Dean with the Carmichaels, and I just really wanted to get on with the story. I had a whole different chapter written and erased it at the last minute. So, this was written in like a half an hour at 1 o'clock in the morning. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, REVIEW! I'll try to get another chapter up soon. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The group slowly walked into the darkened entry hall of the abandoned farmhouse. The entry hall opened up on all three sides showing different rooms filled with random pieces of furniture covered with white sheets. The sunlight poured the windows, casting an eerie glow through the rooms as it illuminated the dust particles that gently floated through the air. Noah lightly clutched Nathan shirt as he felt a slight breeze move through the house that chilled him to the bones.

Sam pulled out the EVP and slowly began moving it around, trying to detect any changes in frequency. Dean led the way up the stairs to the upper levels of the house. Nathan flung a protective arm around Noah as they made their way up the stairs; he knew these old, rickety abandoned houses always frightened his little brother.

"Nothing on the EVP yet?" Dean asked Sam as he reached the top of the staircase.

"Nope, nothing," Sam replied.

"Maybe we'll get something when we get a little closer to the balcony," replied Dean as he turned to enter the room to the left of them.

Matt followed the Winchesters, closely followed by Noah and Nathan, the former one having just thrown his arms around his brother's waist.

"You okay, buddy?" Nathan whispered to Noah after feeling the boy attach himself more securely to his torso.

Noah just shook his head up and down, trying to hide his face in Nathan's jacket. Nathan placed a hand on Nathan's arm, rubbing in a soothing manner, trying to warm the boy up; he just realized how cold it was in the house.

"I guess that's the balcony," Matt said, pointing in the direction of the glass-paned French doors that led outside.

"Let's go check it out," Dean responded, walking over to the doors.

As soon as the boys walked toward the doors, the light in the EVP Sam was holding rapidly began moving, making loud beeping noises the higher the light went.

"Bingo," Dean said when he saw the meter spark. He slowly opened the balcony doors and stepped out, looking around for signs of anything supernatural. Sam and Matt followed Dean with the two younger boys bringing up the rear. Nathan put one foot on the balcony then quickly stopped as he felt a sharp tug on his jacket. He turned to look at Noah who was now sobbing uncontrollably.

Completely oblivious to what could have brought on this sudden change of emotion, Nathan stooped down to Noah's level and quickly pulled the boy into a soothing hug, "What's wrong?"

At the sound of crying, all three men turned around. "What the hell's wrong with him?" Matt questioned his oldest son. Sam and Dean glanced at each other at the irritated tone the eldest Carmichael had taken with his obviously upset child.

"What's wrong," Nathan calmly asked Noah.

"Don't feel good…sick," Noah cried into Nathan's ear.

"He's sick, Dad. Can I take him outside?" Nathan questioned Matt.

"Whatever," Matt mumbled, turning back to the balcony.

Nathan picked Noah up with a quick glance at Dean and Sam who were looking back and forth from Matt and his boys in incredulity at what had just taken place. "Let's go," Nathan whispered in Noah's ear as he quickly walked from the room and headed for the staircase.

"Um, aren't you going to go check on him?" Dean asked Matt.

"They're fine," was his only reply.

Sam and Dean didn't know what to think or do as they looked at Matt who had simply ignored the fact that his youngest son was ill. Dean gazed at Sam who only hunched his shoulders in response to Dean's questioning expression. He shrugged his head towards the staircase indicating that Dean should go check on the boys.

"Um, I left my phone in the car. I'm gonna go get it in case Bobby calls with more information on the hunt," he slyly told Matt and Sam. Matt just nodded his head and turned back to examine the balcony, while Dean raised his eyebrows at Matt's reaction and headed for the door.

Dean walked down the steps and out the front door skimming the yard for the boys. He caught sight of them by the corner of the house, Noah retching into a bush while Nathan rubbed a comforting hand in small circles on the young boy's back, muttering a constant string of reassurances in an attempt to calm Noah's sobbing. Dean quickly walked to the Impala, snatched a water bottle from a cooler in the backseat, and made his way over to the boys.

"Is he okay?" Dean gently asked Nathan who jumped at the sound of Dean's voice, not realizing someone else was near him and his brother.

"He'll be fine," Nathan replied warily eyeing the man. Why was he being nice to them? No one ever cared about them.

Noah took this moment to stop vomiting as he turned around and laid his head on Nathan's shoulders, tears still rolling down his cheeks. Nathan wrapped his arms around him and stood. Dean was watching the boys with increasing interest. They reminded him so much of him and Sammy.

"Here, I brought him some water," said Dean as he handed Nathan the water bottle.

Nathan took the bottle with a confused, but grateful expression. "Here, go ahead and rinse your mouth out then take a few sips of water," Nathan instructed Noah. "Thanks," he told Dean as Noah cleaned his mouth out.

Nathan kept his attention trained on Noah not knowing how to act around the grown man. There were a few seconds of awkward silence until Dean began, "So, um…" until Matt and Sam suddenly came out of the door.

Dean looked over at the two men as they walked down the front steps and walked towards them, "Well, there was nothing really on the balcony, just a lot of spikes in the EVP," Sam said.

"Let's just check out the cemetery and find the kid's grave," Dean suggested.

"Sounds good, c'mon boys," said Matt, turning to stare at the boys, Noah still looking quite pale from his sickness.

"They could just stay here. I mean it's really no big deal if they don't come to the graveyard. We're only trying to find the grave, and Noah's not feeling well," Dean said with a glance at Matt.

Matt stared at the boys for a brief minute then muttered, "Fine," and turned and began walking in the direction of the cemetery.

Nathan gave Dean a quick smile in thanks before going to sit on the steps of the house while the older men walked away.

"Are you feeling alright?" Nathan asked Noah who gave a slight shake of his head in response to the question. "What happened in there?" A shrug was the only answer Nathan got in reply. "C'mon Noah, you can tell me. I won't get mad at you, I promise. You can always trust me."

"I dunno," Noah replied in a soft voice. "It was cold. I got sick really fast." Nathan could tell Noah was starting to get upset again. "The house is bad, Nathan," tears fully flowing down his cheeks.

"Hey, it's fine. Shh, it's okay, I'm here. Calm down," Nathan comforted.

The two boys sat in each other's arms while the men out, Nathan resting his head on the banister and looking at nothing in particular while continuously running a head up and down Noah's back. Eventually, the youngest boy fell asleep. About a half hour later, Nathan saw the adults walking back from their excursion to the cemetery. Sam and Dean walked up first, the former looking at the boys and asking, "How's he doing?"

"He's better," Nathan answered.

"Good," Matt said, "we're coming back tonight to burn this ghost whether he feels better or not."

Sam and Dean stared in disbelief, not sure what to do or how to react. Sure, their father had been tough, but if one of them was feeling sick he at least made sure the kid stayed at home in bed after taking a tablespoon or two of medicine.

"But what's Noah going to do while we're hunting?" Nathan asked his father.

"He can wait in the car."

"But Dad…"

"Nathan!" Nathan flinched at his father's harsh and immediately closed his mouth and dropped his head.

"I could stay with him," Dean offered. Nathan looked up at Dean's offer.

"What?" Matt questioned looking at Dean in disbelief.

"You guys don't need four people on this hunt; you'll be just fine without me. Besides, the kid's not feeling well. We can stay at the hotel and watch some movies and play cards or whatever kids do. It's no big deal."

Matt looked at Dean and thought over the proposal. "Sure," he soon answered, "That'll work. Nathan can get more training in if there aren't as many hunters there. So, we'll see you at 8 o'clock?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Sam answered.

With a nod of the head Matt walked back to his truck. Dean and Sam gave the two boys a kind smile then headed to the Impala. Nathan stood up, Noah still fast asleep in his arms as he followed his father to the truck.

Nathan was nervous about leaving Noah with Dean, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. Anyways, it was better than leaving him by himself in a freezing vehicle in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night. All he could do was pray that everything would end up alright.

**So, there you have it…Chapter 4. I hope you enjoyed it, I know I really liked writing this chapter. I'm on my spring break, so I'll hopefully be getting at least two more chapters out this week. Please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all, I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it, and PLEASE keep it coming. Here's Chapter 5…enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 5**

"So, what do you think's wrong with those boys?" Sam asked as the Winchesters walked over to the Carmichael's hotel room.

"I dunno, just watch out for that kid tonight, okay?" Dean walked up to the door and knocked. Seconds later, Matt opened the door and stepped aside, allowing the men to enter the room.

"You guys ready to go?" Sam asked looking around the room to see Matt picking up a bag of weapons and Noah who sat next to Nathan on one of the beds, the latter looking extremely anxious.

"Yeah, let's go Nate," Turning to look at Dean, Matt added, "Thanks for watching the kid," and walked out the door.

"Be good, okay?" Nathan told Noah as the young kid clung to his brother. "I'll be back before you know it." Unwrapping the small boy's arms from around his middle, Nathan grabbed his jacket and with a worried glance, left the room. Sam gave a slight raise of the eyebrows and soon followed the two eldest Carmichaels.

Dean walked over to the door and locked all the bolts before turning to face the nine year old who was currently staring at the ground attempting to stop the few tears that made their way down his face.

"So, what do you want to do?" Seeing no response from the kid, Dean continued. "We could play some cards or watch some TV? Anything you want." Noah sat there for a minute, trying to decide what to do. No one, besides his brother, had ever asked him what he wanted. This was too good to be true. Dean caught Noah's eyes glance toward the television set ever so slightly. "TV then," he asked, a few seconds later a small nod in reply. "Sounds like a plan,"

Dean sat on the floor at the foot of the bed and switched the television on. He flipped through the channels, finally stopping on a family movie that was playing. Feeling a small body settle next to him, Dean looked over and asked, "Is this one okay?" Another nod in return, 'well it's better than nothing,' Dean thought, and together the two watched in silence.

***

Nathan was on lookout duty as his father and Sam dug the grave. So far, nothing bad had happened. The grave was almost dug, and then the salting and burning of the bones and Nathan could go back to the motel to Noah. The poor kid was probably freaking out. Nathan knew how much Noah hated meeting new people, he had no idea how the boy was reacting to Dean.

Nathan tried to push his worries aside; there was no room for errors on this hunt, especially since he screwed up so badly on the last. The sky was clear and the moon was shining, but still all Nathan could see was darkness, except for the light encircling the grave thanks to the lanterns they had brought.

The sounds of metal hitting wood broke Nathan out of his trance. He turned around to see Sam cleaning the dirt off the coffin. Matt climbed out of the grave, while Sam broke through the casket with his shovel. Lying there was the disintegrating corpse of the boy, hair still visible on the skull, while dead eye-sockets gazed unseeingly into the faces of the three men staring down.

Sam boosted himself out of the grave as he heard Matt say, "Nathan, go get the lighter fluid and salt," which were currently propped up by a nearby tree. Nathan bent down and picked up the two items before turning around.

"Dad, look out!" Matt heard Nathan's warning and quickly turned and shot his gun at the transparent figure that was coming towards him. The spirit quickly disappeared leaving no trace of its presence only mere seconds before.

Flinching at the sound of the gun, Nathan stood otherwise, rooted at the spot, unable to tear his eyes away from where the ghost had been mere seconds before.

"Nathan, get the salt and fluid here now!" At the demanding voice of his father, Nathan broke from his trance and hastily carried the items over to the grave. Sam was turning in circles, making sure the three of them were protected from any more unwelcome attacks. Matt walked angrily to Nathan and grabbed the lighter fluid and salt and lit the skeleton on fire. The ghost wasn't seen again as the bones burned. Nathan and Sam each took a shovel and filled the grave in, removing all traces that the men had been there.

Matt was fuming, Nathan could tell, but he couldn't figure out what his father would've done differently. He was watching out for the ghost, it wasn't his fault the spirit showed up out of nowhere.

"Good work guys," Sam said trying to lighten the situation as he began packing up all the supplies. He could practically feel the stress radiating off the two Carmichaels.

Finally, Matt walked agitatedly to the other side of the grave where Nathan stood. He raised his hand and before Sam had a chance to react, Matt struck Nathan so hard the boy fell to the ground, a grunt escaping from him when his father's hand connected with his check.

"You should have been paying closer attention Nathan! Every time we're on a hunt this fucking happens!" Nathan was sitting up, holding a hand to his cheek and ready to protect himself if his dad started again.

"Hey," Sam said, rushing over, "What the hell are you doing?"

"The kid screwed up and almost got me killed! He needs to be taught a lesson."

"No!" Sam placed himself between Nathan and Matt, "He did a great job. It wasn't his fault the ghost almost attacked you!"

"Are you saying it's my fault?" asked Matt with a threatening tone.

"I'm saying we all make mistakes sometimes and the kid definitely does not deserve this. You just don't hit a kid!"

"I'm his father and I'll do what I want! Besides, this isn't the first time his lack of an attention span almost got us killed," Matt spit, "Now, get up Nathan!" he ordered his son.

Nathan clambered to his feet and walked obediently over to Matt who roughly grabbed his upper arm and began pulling him to the truck. Nathan threw Sam a look that said 'just drop it' and tried to keep up with his father. He was glad Sam was trying to help him, but in the end it would only make Matt angrier, and Nathan and Noah were the one's that were going to have to deal with Matt's anger.

Sam held back his frustration and followed the Carmichaels to their truck, thinking he was definitely going to have a talk to Dean about this when they got back.

***

At some point in the night Dean gained Noah's trust. It may have been while they played cards or when Dean took him to get ice cream; he didn't really know when it happened, but it did. Yeah the kid didn't really talk, but he barely talked to his brother, so Dean didn't take his silence too personally.

When the two eldest Carmichaels and Sam returned from the hunt they found Dean asleep in a sitting position on the bed with Noah curled into his side, mimicking Dean's current condition, Nathan's red sweatshirt tucked securely around his shoulders. As soon as the door swung closed Dean awoke from his slumber. His hunter instincts took over and he rapidly looked for the thing that interrupted his sleep.

Spotting Sam, Dean gently got off the bed hoping not to wake Noah from his sleep, and he made his way over to the newly arrived trio. Dean finally took a moment to look over the three: Sam looked royally pissed at something, Nathan was sporting a bruise on his cheek, and Matt looked miserable as always.

"Hey, everything go okay with the hunt?" Dean cautiously asked. From the look of the hunters' faces, one wrong move could be disastrous.

"It was fine. Got the ghost," Sam monotonously replied.

"So, Noah was fine. We got some ice cream and watched a movie; he fell asleep about a half hour ago."

"Well, thank you very much for your help. We better get to bed though; I plan on leaving early tomorrow."

" Dean…" Sam began before Matt interrupted him.

"Nathan, thank the Winchesters for their help."

"Thanks guys," he quietly said.

"Nathan…"Sam tried once again.

"Sam, it's fine, really. I'm gonna go move Noah into our bed," he said, moving quickly to his sleeping brother. He had tried to hint to Sam that he was fine, that nothing was going to happen. Besides, the Winchesters weren't going to be able to keep Matt from hitting them when they were gone. In the end it would just be a lost cause.

"Okay, well we'll see you later, bye Nathan, Matt," Dean said, yanking Sam to the door by the sleeve of his jacket.

As soon as they got outside Dean turned towards Sam, "What the hell was that about?"

"That asshole hit Nathan after we got rid of the ghost, and it wasn't a grateful love tap, it was a 'you better watch it or I'm gonna beat the shit out of you' hit." Sam angrily replied.

"What? He hit his own son?"

"Yeah Dean, I was standing right there."

Dean pondered this information for a second before answering, "No wonder those kids are so antisocial," Dean said aloud more to himself than to Sam, "Well, what should we do?"

"I don't know. If we take them Matt could sic the cops on our asses for kidnapping and if we call the cops those boys would be put in the system."

"Do you want to go back in and talk to him?"

Sam thought for a minute. Nathan acted like he was okay, but he was probably terrified, "Well, maybe we should just leave it alone tonight. We can't really do anything. They're probably already in bed. Let's just catch up with them tomorrow morning and see if we can talk to Nathan alone and see how bad it is."

"That's probably best. We'll make sure we talk to them tomorrow." Dean said making his way to the Impala, but no matter how hard the Winchesters tried, they couldn't help but feel anxious about the two young boys in Matt Carmichael's care.

**Ah, cliffhangers! I love them! So, hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon because I am super excited to write it! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! Don't worry, Papa Carmichael's time is coming…lol. And I just want to add that I am sooooo excited about the episode tonight! It's going to be so stressful, but I can't wati!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Again, thank you so much for the reviews you guys. You don't know how much I appreciate it. Well, here's Chapter 6…enjoy!**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 6**

Matt shut the door as soon as the Winchesters left and turned to glare at his eldest son who had just finished tucking Noah into bed.

"Get over here," he growled at his son.

"Dad, please, I didn't do anything wrong," Nathan pleaded, backing away from the bed.

"What, so we're pleading now?" Matt yelled as he quickly approached Nathan who was now cowering in the corner. "You stupid piece of shit, always fucking up on hunts!" Nathan held up his hands trying his best to protect himself from the blows his father was now raining on him.

"Dad, please stop!" Nathan cried when suddenly Matt took hold of his hair and threw him on the ground. The sudden banging noise of Nathan's body hitting the floor woke Noah from his sleep. Noah looked fearfully on as his dad made his way over to Nathan and kicked him a few times in the chest and then roughly stomped on his back.

"Don't you move!" threatened as he made his way to the bathroom.

Nathan was gasping for breath by the time his father left the room. There was blood running from his nose and he could already feel the bruises starting to appear. He glanced up at his brother, not knowing the boy had woken up. The fear in his little brother's eyes was evident, and he couldn't take it anymore. "Noah, go get help," he panted. "Please, go." He didn't care what happened; they just had to get out of there.

Noah quietly jumped out of the bed and ran out of the room. He knew where he was heading.

***

Dean and Sam were getting ready for bed when they heard frantic knocking on the door.

"Who the hell could that be?" Dean asked. Sam only responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders as Dean stood up to answer the door.

As soon as Dean opened the door, Noah ran at him and wrapped his arms around Dean's middle. He was sobbing uncontrollably and pulling on Dean's shirt.

"Noah, what's wrong?" he asked, rubbing a hand on Noah's back.

"Help Nathan. Help him," Noah cried, "Hurt. He's hurt." Dean cast a worried glance in Sam's direction.

"Okay, Noah, just sit on the bed and stay here, okay? Sam and I'll go help Nathan. We'll be right back." Dean set Noah on the bed; the boy was sobbing uncontrollably, and Dean went to grab a gun. "C'mon, Sam, let's go."

Sam and Dean quickly ran down the sidewalk of the motel until they reached the Carmichaels' room. They could hear yelling and pained grunts from inside the room. 'On three,' Dean mouthed. He counted to three then kicked the door open; the sight that they saw shocked them. Matt was standing over Nathan hitting him over and over again with the buckle of his belt. Nathan didn't have a shirt on and Sam and Dean could barely see an inch of skin that wasn't covered with some sort of mark or bruise. Nathan was trying to get up and away from his father, but he didn't have any strength left to fight back.

"Hey! Get away from him asshole!" Dean yelled, pointing his gun in Matt's direction.

Matt was brought out of his maniacal trance when the Winchesters entered the room. At the sound of Dean's voice Matt stopped swinging his belt and brutally yanked Nathan by his hair and pulled him into a kneeling position. The teenager cried in pain as he was physically dragged up, he was trying his best to get his father to loosen the grip he had on his hair, but Dean could tell he was soon going to lose consciousness.

"What? You want to protect him," and Matt shook the hand that held Nathan in his grasp causing the boy to cry out in pain, "Don't tell me he doesn't deserve it. He's a worthless sack of shit!"

"He's not worthless! Anybody who beats a kid is worthless."

"Now let him go before I shoot you goddamned head off!" Dean roared.

"Fine, take him, but don't come crying to me when he gets you killed," and with that said, Matt let go Nathan's hair and gave him a swift kick that knocked the boy to the ground once again.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Dean charged at Matt, completely forgetting his gun and tackled the man to the ground.

"Dean!" Sam yelled as he ran over to help Dean who was currently pounding fist after fist into Matt's face, "Dean just let it go. We can deal with him tomorrow," Sam tried to pull Dean off of Matt, but Dean was too furious to acquiesce.

"No, we'll deal with it now!" Matt's face was a bloodied mess, but Dean kept up the rain of blows. Finally, Sam was able to wrestle Dean off of Matt, but by the time it happened, Matt was unconscious.

"C'mon, Dean, Nathan needs our help." This ended Dean's struggles. "Go help the kid. I'll tie Matt up and we'll deal with him tomorrow, okay?"

"Fine," Dean said. He stood up and walked over to Nathan who was passed out on the floor. "Nathan, you have to wake up for me. You're safe now, just wake up," he comforted as he lightly patted Nathan's bruised cheek and rubbed a hand through his hair.

Nathan started waking up and flinched under Dean's hand, "Don't hurt me, please," he cried.

"We're not gonna hurt you. You're safe now." The sound of Dean's soothing voice seemed to calm Nathan down a little, but then another thought had Nathan's heart beating wildly again.

"Where's Noah? I need to see him," Nathan attempted to stand up, but cringed under the amount of injuries sustained. Dean gently pushed him back down.

"Hey, calm down, kiddo. We'll take you to your brother, he's fine. Do you think you can walk?" Dean asked. Nathan nodded yes, a tear sliding down his bruised face.

"Okay, I'll help you up, ready?" Dean slid a gentle hand under his arm and tried to lift Nathan as gently as he could. Nathan attempted to hold back his gasp of pain, but didn't succeed.

"Are you going to be okay walking to our room or do you want me to carry you?" Dean asked with a concerned tone when he heard Nathan gasp.

"I'll be fine," Nathan huffed, trying to pull himself together. His body was aching all over and every step brought a new wave of pain.

Sam finished tying Matt up and walked over to Dean and Nathan. "You okay kid?" he asked Nathan. A quick nod was all he received in return. "Okay, let's go back to the room and get you cleaned up."

Dean started walking, still supporting Nathan with his arm. They started made their way slowly out the room and down the motel's sidewalk back to the Winchesters' room. Sam locked Matt in the room and followed Dean and Nathan down the walk. By the time they stood outside the room, Nathan was almost unconscious from the pain. "Hold on there kid. We're almost there, don't pass out on me now," Dean said.

Sam unlocked their door and stood aside to allow Dean and Nathan to enter the room. As soon as Noah saw his brother he jumped off the bed and ran to his brother, wrapping his arms around him before Dean could stop him. Nathan stifled a gasp, but pulled his brother into tight hug, not caring that it hurt like hell because Noah was safe now, and that was all that mattered.

"Let's go sit down so Sam and I can check you out," Dean gently pulled Nathan to the bed and made him sit down, Noah still clinging to his brother for dear life. Sam came over with the first aid kit, "Noah, you're going to have to let go of Nathan for a bit." Noah shook his head no, now that his brother was back he wasn't going to let him go, and Nathan wasn't going to force him.

"Noah," Dean said. The boy hid his face in Nathan's side. Nathan wearily brought a hand up a cupped his brother's head, "Noah, please. You can still hold my hand if you want." Noah waited a few seconds before lifting his tearstained face up and moved away from Nathan, but making sure to keep a tight hold on Nathan's hand.

"Okay, let's get you cleaned up," Dean reached over and tried to hold onto Nathan's chin so he could clean his face up, but Nathan involuntarily flinched under the touch. He wasn't used to comforting hands and the contact brought up deeply imbedded fears of grown men, forcing a shudder to course through the boy's frame. Nathan tried to bite back the sobs he could feel coming on in order to stay strong for Noah, but the recent encounter with his father left him feeling frail and afraid.

Dean could tell the boy was losing it, so he turned to Noah and suggested, "Hey, I think your brother here could use a drink and a snack. How about you and Sam go find a vending machine? I promise he won't bite," he added seeing the hesitation in Noah's eye. He looked over at Nathan and got up from the bed to follow Sam to the door after Nathan gave him a small smile. Noah went over to Sam and took the hand he offered, and the two left the room.

Dean turned back to Nathan who was staring at the wall behind Dean's head, lip trembling with the effort of not breaking down. "Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be fine," Dean placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder. Nathan turned to look at Dean as a few tears broke loose of their barrier. "Hey, you're going to be safe now, I promise you." Normally, Dean wasn't a chick-moment kind of guy, but he felt drawn to these kids for some reason, so he pulled Nathan into a hug and let him cry. Nathan tightened his hands in Dean's shirt and held on for dear life as Dean rubbed his back.

After a few minutes, Nathan had tired himself out with crying. "You've got to stay awake until I check you out," as Dean began looking over the boy's injuries.

"What are we going to do, now?" Nathan asked with puffy, bloodshot eyes, "I can't lose him."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't you worry about that. You are not going to lose him. I just want you to concentrate on getting better and Sammy and I will figure it out okay?" Nathan just sniffed in reply and faintly nodded his head.

It took a while for Dean to clean all of Nathan's cuts and wrap his ribs knowing that a couple of them were broken. He then gave the teenager a change of his pajamas and helped him get into bed. "Just rest," Dean said as he stroked Nathan's hair, "everything will be better when you wake up."

Sam and Noah returned just as Dean was finishing cleaning up the medical supplies. Noah was being held in Sam's arms and was about to fall asleep at any moment. Sam put him in bed with his brother and covered him with the blue comforter. As soon as Noah hit the bed, Nathan turned to his other side and grasped the boy tightly in his arms.

"What are we gonna do?" Sam asked after the boys had fallen into a dead sleep.

"Let's just figure that out in the morning," was Dean's reply, his eyes never leaving the sleeping brothers that were now in their care. That was a good question…what were they going to do?

**Wow, two chapters in two days…I'm on a roll. The episode yesterday was insane!!!! Poor Dean, the guy just can't get a break. I was flipping out the entire time! I can't take this show sometimes…it is way to stressful for me. But I love Cas! I am so glad he's been in more episodes. Anyways, now that I've finished freaking out about the episode…tell me what you think of the chapter! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!!!! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Sam woke up early the next morning, and after writing a quick note to Dean explaining where he was, left the room to get breakfast. When he had left, Noah was sound asleep, still in Nathan's arms. He didn't know what to do about the boys; the subject kept him awake for most of the night. Him and Dean couldn't just let other people care for the boys; they'd most likely be split up and placed in foster care, and with all they knew about the supernatural world, how would that affect their life? The best bet would be to take the boys with them, although it would be more complicated hunting with two young boys.

Maybe the boys would be good for them, maybe it would force them to slow down and live for something other than just each other. Nathan and Noah were good boys, and Dean liked them a lot. He'd be a great surrogate father for them; he was always good with children, and it would be good for him. Every since the whole Hell situation, he'd been more distant and even more introverted with his emotions. Pushing these thoughts behind him, Sam turned the Impala onto the main road of down and promised he'd have a talk with Dean about the boys as soon as they figured out what to do about Matt Carmichael.

***

Dean woke shortly after Sam left. He read the note his brother left him and quietly got up from his bed, hoping not to wake Nathan and Noah who definitely needed their sleep after the stressful evening the night before. Dean flipped the covers from off him, stood up, and walked to the bathroom. After cleaning up a little, Dean went back to the main room and after pacing the room, trying t o find something to occupy his time, he sat in a chair and just watched the two boys sleep.

What now? He felt a pull to those boys and he had no idea why. Maybe it was because they were so broken and lost and that was Dean's job, to protect people who couldn't protect themselves. Maybe it was because they were innocent boys who were thrust in the unforgiving and terrifying world of hunting. Maybe it was because a part of him knew he wanted to be a father and he already felt a fatherly connection towards the two boys.

Sam's abrupt arrival tore Dean from his thoughts. "Hey," Sam said while closing the door and placing a bag and two coffees on the table. "They still sleeping?" he said with a nod at the bed where Nathan and Noah were still asleep.

"Yeah, they're still out," Dean replied taking a sip of coffee from the cup.

"So, have you thought at all about what we're gonna do with Matt?"

"No, I've been thinking about some other stuff."

The two men sat in silence for a while until Sam spoke, "Well, I think I'll go check on the asshole," standing up, Sam went to put his coat back on. He could tell Dean was too wrapped up in his own emotions and thoughts to have a serious conversation right now, "When they wake up, there are bagels and donuts in the bag."

Sam left the room and Dean went back to reflecting on the situation, but his thoughts were once again interrupted by a stirring in the still occupied bed. Dean tried to look like he was doing something to make the moment a little less awkward, but was unsuccessful. He saw Nathan push himself up, trying his hardest not to jar any of his injuries. He looked up to see Dean staring at him, and after a few seconds of silence, Dean asked, "Do you want any breakfast?"

Dean could see Nathan trying to conquer his fear and approach him. He was biting his lip and looking down into his lap until finally getting up from the bed. He reached over and tucked the blankets more securely around Noah's small body before walking over to the table with Dean, who could see a change in the boy even though he only knew him for a short while. He seemed a lot more tense and afraid, and although he constantly attempted to come off as strong and courageous for his brother, the barrier was a lot weaker. The incident with his dad the night before had taken its toll on him.

Nathan walked over to the table and sat down across from the oldest Winchester while Dean laid out the food Sam bought. "So, eat anything you want," but the conversation was suddenly interrupted by the motel door slamming into the wall. Sam rushed in, completely ignored Nathan's presence and directed at Dean, "He's gone!"

Noah woke up at Sam's arrival and fearfully looked around for his brother. Cringing at Sam's tone, Nathan rushed over to his brother, ignoring the searing pains in his side, and swept the boy to him. "What do you mean he's gone?" Dean said standing up from his chair. Noah's face was now hidden in Nathan's neck at the rising volume of the Winchesters' conversation, while Nathan was glancing wide-eyed at the two men.

"I mean he's gone, Dean," Sam took off his coat and threw at one of the wooden chairs surrounding the table. "He must have got out of his bounds and he left during the night."

"Dad's gone?" Nathan finally caught on to the conversation, "What are we going to do? What are you going to do with us?" he was quickly panicking. At least while their father was there they always had someone to turn to, even if he was abusive, but with the Winchesters, they wouldn't want to minors with them at all times, right?

"Hey, Nathan, don't freak out, you're scaring your brother." Dean said as he approached the boys. Nathan flinched when Dean tried to place a tender hand on his shoulder. "Let's all just have breakfast and we'll figure this out, alright. Just calm down." Sam noticed that although Dean spoke these words and his outward appearance was calm, he knew that inside, his brother was furious. Sam knew Dean wanted another go with the sadistic man.

Nathan tried to control his breathing as he allowed Dean to gently lead them over to the table and the two sat down, and although Noah was no longer hiding his face, he was still unwilling to let go of his brother.

"Hey, Noah, how about you sit on another chair. I'm sure Nathan's not feeling too hot right now," Sam suggested.

"I'm fine," Nathan replied, holding Noah tighter to him. Sam let it rest for now, he was sure the brothers were frightened and only force would keep them a part, and Sam wasn't about to do that, even if Nathan was seriously hurt.

"Here," Dean said handing Nathan two pills from a bottle sitting on the table, "it'll help with the pain. Now, Sam and I are gonna go talk outside. Why don't you two eat up and we can talk when we come back."

Dean got up and followed Sam out the door and Nathan began making a bagel for Noah who was now resting his head on Nathan's shoulder. He swallowed the two pills and handed Noah part of the bagel while he picked up the other half for himself. Nathan tried not to think too much about what the Winchesters were talking about outside, no matter what happened he would be fine as long as his brother was with him.

Shutting the door behind him, Dean turned to face Sam who had his hands on his hips.

"What are we going to do?" Sam came right out and asked.

Dean sighed and looked over at the Impala and after a few moments asked, "Do you think we should just keep them with us? And what the hell are we going to do about Matt? We can't just let the bastard go."

Sam thought about what his brother just said and carefully chose his next words, "I think we should just try to forget about him. I know you want to hunt Matt down and kill him, but again, for their sake," he said nodding towards the door, "I think it would be best to just let it go. We can protect those kids, and I think they should stay with us. I mean they already know about the supernatural world and I know how hard it is to hunt with kids, but I think that would be the best thing to do in the long run."

"Yeah, I can't imagine putting them in the damned system; God knows what would happen to them in there, and anyways, I like them…they're cool kids."

"I think it'd be worth it, I mean I know you already have a connection with them Dean. Let's just take them with us."

"I don't have a connection with them," Dean immaturely denied, "Nathan will barely let me touch his shoulder," he let out a sigh, "Well, where do we go from here? Are we going to drag them around with us hunting?" Dean questioned.

"They like you Dean, they're just nervous, and I know you like them. How about we just go to Bobby's and let Nathan get better and we can figure out what to do from there," Sam suggested.

"Okay," Dean agreed, "we should check Noah too, I'm sure he's got a few cuts and bruises."

"Good idea. So, ready to go back in?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, let's just tell them we're going to take them to a friend's house of ours so they can get better. I don't want to tell them they're staying with us until they trust us more."

"Yeah, that's probably best," Sam said, and together he and Dean walked back into the room and informed the boys of their upcoming trip to Bobby Singer's house. Dean really hoped the boys would start to trust him and Sam or the next few weeks were going to be really awkward.

**Sooooo….do you guys hate me or what? I bet you didn't expect Matt to get away? Well, there I think** **there's only going to be one or two more chapters, and I'll write a sequel if you guys want it, so let me know. And please review! I love reviews so so so so much! Btw, the next chapter might take a little longer to write since I am back at school and have to finish the work that I didn't do over spring break…so yeah, but I will try my hardest to review as soon as possible. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it took so long to update! School was awful this week, so I stayed in Friday to do "work" and ended up writing this chapter. Yay for procrastination! Enjoy!!!!**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 8**

When Sam and Dean reentered the room, they found the two boys finishing up a bagel. Nathan looked up when the two walked in and placed his bagel on the table and looked at the Winchesters, nervously awaiting his fate and the fate of his brother. He hesitantly looked between the two brothers as they joined Nathan and Noah at the table. Sensing Nathan tense up, Noah glanced in his brother's direction, placed his bagel down and reached over to grab Nathan's hand, the older boy responded with a light squeeze.

"No need to look so scared," Dean responded to the looks on both the boys' faces as he reached into a bag and took out a donut.

"So, we decided that for now, we're just going to go to our friend, Bobby Singer's house; That way you can have a chance to heal," Sam said looking at Nathan at the last part.

Nathan looked down after Sam had spoken to him. "Nathan, do you want to say something?" Dean asked noticing the look of discontent on Nathan's face.

"Well, what's going to happen to us afterwards? I mean it'll only take a few days for me to heal up; what are you going to do with us afterwards? Where are we going to go?"

"Don't worry about that now, alright? I just want you to concentrate on getting better," Dean replied.

Nathan nodded and looked back down, but feeling his brother tapping on his hand, turned to the boy. "Bathroom," Noah lightly said.

"Bathroom's right there Noah," Sam said pointing to the other door in the room.

"Go ahead," Nathan lightly leaned into Noah's shoulder. The nine-year-old stood up and made his way to the bathroom, glancing behind to look at his brother who gave him a reassuring smile.

Dean was silent for a few minutes before turning to speak to Nathan, "So, how're you really feeling kid?"

"Eh, a little sore, but nothing I haven't felt before," Dean shook his head as he wondered how many times Nathan had felt like that before because he was pretty sure Nathan felt like shit right now. "Um, do you think you could check Noah?" he asked Dean.

"Why? Did your dad hit him too?" Sam asked. Nathan miserably nodded in response.

"Son of a bitch," Dean said staring at the door the boy had just entered the bathroom. Nathan returned to staring at the table.

Shortly afterwards, Noah came back out, "Hey, buddy, your brother told us you might have some cuts and bruises we should look at."

Noah looked from Dean to Nathan to Sam and began crying. Nathan hurriedly walked to Noah and reached out to give Nathan a hug. "Hey, don't cry. They're gonna make it all better. You trust me right?" Noah nodded.

"Okay, kiddo," Dean said as he made his way to the boys, first aid in hand, "let's sit you on the bed and see what's going on here," he told the boy, trying to lighten the mood. Nathan removed Noah's shirt and placed a tender hand on Noah's head.

"Jesus," Noah's back was covered in bruises and scratches, there was even bruising on his arms and the back of his neck. Noah began crying and tensed as Dean ran a gentle hand over his back, checking to make sure nothing was damaged too severely.

"Hey, Sam, why don't you go see if the boys' clothes are still in their room," Dean suggested looking at Sam with a hinting expression. He hoped to get the boys away from this place as soon as possible; Sam got the hint and left the room to collect whatever clothing was left.

"Alright," Dean said turning back to Noah. He took out a bottle of antiseptic to clean the larger scratches that had not yet scabbed over. "Now, this might sting a little, but I can promise they're not that bad. Do you want to hold onto your brother?" he suggested noticing the anxious expression on they young boy's face. Most of Noah's injuries were on his back, so it wouldn't hurt for Nathan to hold him, especially if it calmed him down.

Nathan reached over and wrapped his brother in a hug, leaving his back free so Dean still had access to the wounds. "So, what caused this?" Dean questioned while putting the peroxide on a cotton ball. Dean looked up at Nathan before wiping the cotton over a cut, "Hands, but mostly Dad's belt."

Dean humphed in disbelief as he continued to clean Noah's back, one particularly bad cut made Noah quickly breathe in with pain. "Sorry," Dean apologized.

"You're doing a great job, kiddo. We'll be done in a few more minutes." Trying to lighten the mood, Dean continued talking, "You know, one time, when Sam and I were teenagers we were on this hunt, and a poltergeist decided to throw Sam straight into a pile of firewood. He got a little splinter and bawled like a baby the entire time it took Dad to get the splinter out. I bet Sammy would've passed out by now if he was in your situation. He's such a baby," Dean chuckled as he heard a small laugh escape Noah. His shoulders were moving from laughter and even Nathan had a smile on his face. It was worth the lie to see those boys smile, and he was definitely not going to tell them it was a stick that made it's way through Sam's arm that day. "Alright, all finished. Let's get your shirt back on," Dean said as he tossed Noah's shirt over his head, once again getting a small giggle in response.

"What's so funny in here?" Sam asked, walking into the room with a duffle slung over his shoulder.

"Nothing, crybaby," Nathan and Noah were both laughing now.

Sam looked in bewilderment at the three before shaking his head and walking around the room gathering his things up.

"Why don't you boys go wait in the car," Dean said handing Nathan the keys to the Impala, "We just have to grab our things and we'll be out in a minute."Nathan took Noah's hand; the latter was still smirking as Nathan led him out the door.

"What was so funny?" Sam asked again.

"I told them the story of when you cried like the baby you are when Dad took the mean little splinter out of your arm," Dean answered Sam as he zipped up his duffle and swung it over his shoulder. Sam followed Dean out of the room, a pensive look on his face. "That wasn't a splinter; that was a six inch stick, and I didn't cry."

Dean snorted in laughter, "They don't need to know that, bitch."

"Jerk," quickly came the automatic reply.

***

Later that night, Dean pulled into a hotel. They could've made it to Bobby's house that night, but the boys really needed to sleep, especially in the shape Nathan was in. Noah was sleeping with his head on Nathan's shoulder and the older boy was staring out the window with glazed eyes. He jolted out of his stupor when the car stopped.

"I'm gonna go get a room," Dean said as he took the key out of the ignition and exited the car.

"Noah, wake up," Nathan nudged his brother. Noah sleepily opened his eyes, but quickly cringed them shut again with a look of pain clear on his face. "You okay?" he asked. Sam turned in his seat and looked at the boy with concern in his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Don't feel good," Noah sunk deeper into Nathan's side.

"Like sick sick or bad sick?" Nathan questioned

"Bad," Noah moaned. Sam was just going to ask what the difference was between the two "sicks" when Dean came walking back with they room key.

"What're you guys still doing in the car?"

"Noah's sick," Sam told Dean as he got out of the car.

"Nathan," Noah cried. Nathan rubbed his back as he picked him out of the car. "Shh, just go to sleep." Noah hid his face in Nathan's neck trying to fall asleep, but the dizziness and nauseous feelings were making it extremely difficult.

"Here, let me take him," Sam offered, "You shouldn't be holding him, you could mess your ribs up even worse."

"No!" Nathan yelled as Sam went to take Noah. He tightened his grip around his brother and gulped, not knowing what would happen since he just yelled at the men. "Please, he'll relax more with me. I'm sorry I yelled, just please, I'm fine, I won't get hurt."

"Hey calm down. I told you we won't hurt you." Nathan nodded his head and followed Dean as he led the way to their room. Nathan was worried though. Bad sick meant a vision was coming, and Nathan had no idea how the Winchesters would react to that. Yeah, they had said they wouldn't hurt them, but when they found out Noah had supernatural abilities, who knew what would happen.

Nathan took his brother into the room and laid him on one of the beds. He took his shoes off and covered him with the bedspread before lying down next to him and running a hand through his slightly knotted hair. Noah snuggled close to his brother and Nathan wrapped an arm around him speaking soothing words to him until the boy fell asleep. Soon after, Nathan followed.

"What the hell was that about?" Sam asked as Dean took Nathan's shoes off and covered him with the blanket.

"I don't know. They kid's overprotective of his brother. I don't blame him though, you know. I mean with all the shit that asshole put them through…" Sam just shook his head in response.

***

Nathan jerked awake when he heard the soft whimpering coming from beside him. Turning to look at his brother, he quickened his actions when Noah began flailing around. Inwardly cringing with anticipation at how the Winchesters were going to react to the visions.

"Noah! Wake up!" Nathan yelled in alarm, not wanting Noah to hurt himself as he flailed even harder. He gently shook his brother attempting to wake him.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, waking up to Nathan's shouting.

"Noah, wake up! He won't wake up! Noah!" Sam had woken at this point and along with Dean made his way over to Nathan and Noah.

Noah suddenly woke up and leapt into Nathan's arms. "Nathan!" he cried, "He's dead. It killed him." Nathan looked fearfully at the Winchesters when Noah said this, waiting to see their reaction.

Sam looked at Dean then back at the boys, Nathan whose eyes were filled with fear. "Did he just have a vision?" Sam wondered, but the look of utter shock and fear on Nathan's face answered that question. Dean took a step towards the boys, but stopped in his tracks when Nathan jumped off the bed and pushed Noah behind him.

"Please, don't hurt him," Nathan begged, tears making their way out of his eyes. "He can't help it. Please, he's just a kid." He felt Noah's hands fist themselves in his shirt and press his face into Nathan's back. "Please."

"Nathan, calm down. We are not going to hurt you or Noah. I promise you one hundred percent that we would never hurt you," Dean said trying to calm the panicking boy down seeing that Nathan was making Noah even more afraid with how he was reacting. Unfortunately, it wasn't working, Nathan started hyperventilating, not knowing any other life, but the fists and hits that came with one of Noah's dreams like a two-for-one deal.

"Hey, I have visions too, Nathan. I do. If he has visions, it's no big deal."

"You're lying. You're just trying to get me to relax so you can get to Noah. I'm not an idiot you know!"

"Nathan, when have we lied to you or hit you? Sam has visions. It's fine if Noah has visions. Let's just calm down and relax. It's gonna be fine. Just come sit down. Let's get your brother calm so he can go back to bed; I'm sure he's pretty shaken up."

Nathan relaxed a little at Dean's words and sat down on the bed, pulling Noah close to him, but still maintaining a distance from the Winchesters, who Nathan thought appeared calm, but he just couldn't find it in himself to trust them right now, "It's gonna be okay Noah," he soothed while keeping a wary eye in the direction of Sam and Dean. "Just go back to bed."

After a short while, Noah fell asleep in Nathan's arms, completely oblivious to anything besides Nathan's breathing, the pain from his vision becoming too unbearable to try to overcome.

"When did his visions start?" Dean asked when he saw Noah had fallen back to sleep.

Nathan sniffed and a lone tear fell down his cheek, "Since he was four."

"Does he have any other powers?"

Nathan took a few deep breaths and said, "He can sense other people's emotions or auras or something like that, and when they're evil spirits around he gets sick."

"Like he did in the farmhouse?" Sam wondered.

"Yes, please don't hurt him," Nathan cried. "He can't control it, and it doesn't hurt anyone. Please."

"Hey, calm down." Dean tried to reach out a comforting hand, but Nathan jerked back and held on tighter to Noah.

"Just leave us alone," Nathan rested his head on Noah's and turned away from the Winchesters.

"Okay, just go back to sleep Nathan. It's fine," Nathan crawled back to bed, pulling Noah to him, but it was awhile before he actually fell asleep. Sam and Dean went to sleep shortly after Nathan lay back down, and soon their snoring filled the room. Nathan wanted to trust Sam and Dean, but every event from his past screamed not to. He had to protect his brother, and knowing his luck, as soon as he thought he could trust them that's when things would get bad.

**Only 3 reviews last time??? That makes me sad, but I do want to thank everyone who's reviewed so far. I really appreciate it! I love review! Keep them coming…the good, the bad, the ugly, I'll take any criticism I can get. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you guys enjoy reading it. I hope to update soon, but again I have an extremely busy week coming up, so I'll try my hardest. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry, it took so long to update! This is the most stressful week of my life, but I had to take a break and finish this chapter because it was distracting me. All I want to do is write this story! Yeah for procrastination and not studying for my test! I will definitely regret this tomorrow…**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 9**

Dean navigated the Impala down the rocky driveway to Bobby Singer's house. The four looked out the windows of the car and watched as the older man walked out of the front door and down the porch stairs, making his way towards the black muscle car. Sam got out first and went over to the man and embraced him, Bobby patting Sam lightly on the back. Dean also got out and opened the boys' door stepping aside to let Noah and Nathan out of the car. After the boys got out, Dean shut the door and looked over at Nathan, sad to see that the teenager still looked extremely anxious and afraid. Dean placed a gentle hand on Nathan's shoulder, frowning slightly when he felt him tense under the touch. "Hey, don't worry about Bobby. He may look rough, but I swear he would never hurt a fly, maybe a ghost, but not a fly. Just don't tell him I told you that."

Dean guided Nathan forward when he got no reply in response, Noah was holding onto Nathan's belt loop while keeping a curious eye on Bobby. 'At least one of them was relatively calm,' Dean thought as he rubbed small circles with on Nathan's shoulder; hoping that the more positive physical contact he got the more he would trust Dean. Noah had relaxed a lot more ever since his dream. He realized Sam and Dean weren't going to hurt him for having the visions. For a while the boy was hesitant to tell Sam and Dean what happened in the dream, but eventually his brother persuaded him to talk about it. They were unable to locate the victim because of Noah's lack of details, but the next day they saw a story in the newspaper that was similar to the dream Noah had. The Winchesters were curious about the boy's other talents, but didn't want to press him until Noah and Nathan felt comfortable and safe around them.

"So, you boys must be Noah and Nathan. I'm Bobby Singer, I'm sure you figured that out though," Bobby reached out a hand to the eldest Carmichael. Nathan reached out a hand even though Dean knew he didn't want to, years of abuse forcing Matt's drilled orders to break loose.

"Do you have a dog?" Bobby looked down at the young boy who was pointing at a rawhide that was laying near the big oak tree in the yard.

"Yeah, I do. She's actually in the barn right now; she had puppies a few weeks ago."

"Can we go see them?" Sam and Dean were both looking at Noah with shocked looks on their faces, Nathan also looking down at his brother in bewilderment. 'Where was this coming from?' he wondered.

"How about we go eat some lunch first, you boys must be starving," Bobby suggested, "and then when you're done, Dean can take you to see the puppies." Noah shook his head in agreement, he was pretty hungry.

The men walked into the rickety old house, Nathan and Noah staring wide-eyed at the cluster that made up each of the rooms. Each room was littered with old, leather-bound books, papers, and an assortment of other objects. The wallpaper was peeling in some areas, but despite the clutter, the house was extremely homey. Bobby led the boys through the living room to the kitchen which was just as unorganized as the rest of the house was.

"Go 'head and sit down boys. I finished making some burgers right when you got here."

"Awesome," Dean said going to sit in one of the chairs surrounding the table.

"Not you, you idgit," Bobby directed at Dean when he saw the man sitting, "get those boys something to drink."

"Oh, yeah," Dean sheepishly replied getting up and grabbing glasses for everyone from a cupboard. He filled the glasses while Sam and Bobby passed out the food.

"Okay, dig in," Bobby said putting the extra food on the table and sitting down. Dean looked over and saw Nathan shifting uncomfortably in his chair. He took the bottle of pain pills from his pocket and handed one to Nathan, pretty positive the injuries his father gave him were still hurting.

"Here, take this," Dean said. Bobby looked over with a sad look, Sam having filled him in on the boys' story before they arrived at the house. Nathan took the pill from Dean and washed it down with a big gulp of water from his glass.

"So…" Bobby didn't know what to say to these boys. According to Dean they were quiet and extremely nervous. He could see that was true for the oldest boy who was picking at the food on his plate; the youngest, on the other hand was shoveling the food into his mouth. "Hey, slow down there buddy boy, you don't want to choke on that."

"Sorry," Noah put his food down and Nathan looked up at Bobby with a worried look, waiting to see what the older man was going to do.

"No, eat all you want, just slow down a bit. You know that burger's dead, it's not going to get up and walk away." He was glad to see Noah perk up and smile at the joke.

"Hell, for all we know, it could. We see so many things; I'm surprised we haven't seen walking cheeseburgers." Dean had just taken a bite of his burger and a small chunk of meat had fallen out of his mouth causing Sam to look at him in disgust.

"That's because you eat a burger so fast, you don't give it any time to act freaky, you cow." Noah giggled at this comment.

"What? You think that's funny?" Dean asked Noah with an amused expression on his face. Noah was biting his lip trying not to laugh as he shook his head 'no' in response. "That's what I thought," Dean went back down to eating his food.

Sam looked at Noah, raising his eyebrows in a devious manner and flicked a spoonful of peas at Dean, who looked up imagined shock and before Sam knew it, Dean had shoved his half-eaten burger in his face. Noah was laughing hysterically and even Nathan had cracked a smile. Bobby just shook his head in slight annoyance, "Okay, children, time to quit it." Noah sobered up at Bobby's tone, but Bobby looked at the small boy and said, "Oh no, not you kiddo, I meant those two children," he pointed at Sam and Dean.

"I am not a child," Sam was trying to scrape cheese from his bangs.

"Huh, yeah, says the man with cheeseburger all over his face. Better yet, Dean, go take those boys to see the puppies now. Sam and I can clean up."

"Would you like that?" Dean asked Noah. The boy nodded yes, excitement shining in his eyes.

"Why does Dean get the fun job?" Sam whined.

"And you don't think you're a child? C'mon ya idgit, let's get this place clean."

Dean got up and began leading the two boys to the door, but turned back around and looked at Bobby, "Hey, I thought Rumsfield was a boy?"

"Yeah, so did I."

"How is it that we know when someone is being possessed by a demon, but we have no idea whether or not you're dog is male or female." Dean shook his head in confusion and walked out of the room.

***

"Want a piggy-back ride?" Dean asked, smiling when he saw Noah shake his head excitedly, he was really beginning to like this kid. "Jump on, little dude," Dean leaned down and pretended to stumble as he lifted Noah up. "Uh-oh, you're too heavy," he joked and laughed as he heard the boy chuckle in response. Dean began walking towards the rickety red barn that stood at one corner of Bobby's property, "Are you coming Nate?" Dean looked back at the teenage boy who was standing at the bottom of the porch steps with a forlorn look on his face. Dean turned back around after he saw Nathan shake his head.

He didn't know what was wrong with the kid. One minute Nathan seemed almost comfortable around the Winchesters and the next minute he was acting like a caged animal. Dean just kept telling himself that that Nathan needed more time to realize no one was going to hurt him, but he didn't' know how else to help the kid when Nathan wouldn't even talk to him.

Dean got to the barn and slid the big wooden door back. He fumbled around looking for a light switch since the only light shining in the barn was the faint yellow rays that pushed their way through the cracks in the roof and windows. "So, where do you think these puppies are?" Dean asked flipping on the light.

"I dunno," Noah replied. Dean began walking down the aisle, Noah still on his back and slightly dipping the boy over the stall doors so he could look for the dogs. Dean could see Nathan out of the corner of his eye, peering into the stalls on the other side of the barn. "Found 'em!" Noah shouted scaring Dean and making him look back at the stall they now stood by.

"Well, would 'ya look at that," Dean set Noah on the ground and opened the stall door, letting the nine year old slip inside and make his way slowly to the puppies that were clambering by their mother. Nathan walked over looking curious, and even excited, and Dean let him go into the stall before entering himself and shutting the door in case a stray puppy decided to attempt to escape.

"Can I touch one?"

"Sure you can kiddo. Hey, if you sit down I'll grab one and you can hold it. Do you want to hold one too Nathan?" Dean asked. Nathan shook his head no, causing Dean to sigh slightly. Dean bent down and took one of the wriggling puppies into his hand, then carried it over to the young boy who was eagerly sitting on the ground, his eyes never leaving the dog. Nathan was watching his brother like a hawk, a smile making an appearance on his face when Dean placed the puppy in Noah's arms.

"What kind of dog is it?" Noah asked as he rubbed a hand over the puppy's body.

"It's a Rottweiler," Dean knelt down beside Noah and began petting the puppy that was now falling asleep in Noah's lap.

"Nathan, wanna pet her?" Noah looked up his brother who was standing with his arms crossed.

He shook his head no, "That's okay, Noah," he said. Noah frowned slightly at his brother's lack of enthusiasm.

"Dean! C'mere for a minute!" they heard Sam yelling from inside the house.

"What now?" Dean wondered out loud. "I'll be right back guys. Be careful with that puppy Noah."

They watched as Dean left the stall and made his way back to the house. Nathan sat on the ground, relaxing now that Dean left. Noah continued petting the puppy for a few more minutes, then set her down and watched her as she trotted over to her mom. He stared at his hands for a few seconds before shuffling over to his brother, leaning on Nathan's side, and wrapped an arm around Nathan's stomach. "Don't be sad anymore," Nathan stiffened when he heard those words come out of Noah's mouth.

"What're you talking about Noah?"

"I don't want you to be sad anymore. They're good, I can feel it," Noah said. He tilted his head to see his brother's reaction.

Nathan was silent before answering, "You don't know that for sure, Noah."

At this, Noah got on his brother's lap and wrapped his arms tightly around his neck, beginning to cry. "No, I know, Nathan. They won't hurt us, they're good, I know for sure!" Noah was sobbing now, "Please don't be sad anymore."

Nathan pondered his brother's remark. Sure the Winchesters have never even tried to hurt them, but it was risking too much to put his faith in them. He couldn't deal with that again. So, Nathan just sat there, holding his brother tight, and running a hand through his hair trying to help him calm down, not knowing what else to do.

***

Later in the day, Dean walked over to where Nathan was sitting, absentmindedly pulling grass from the ground. Noah was asleep on the porch swing, always staying where Nathan could see him. Dean sat down on the ground, stared at the sunset, and waited to see if Nathan would speak first. Finally, after what seemed like a while, he surprisingly did, "Why are you helping us?"

"Because you need it and because you didn't deserve anything your father did to you."

"We don't need your help. I can take care of Noah on my own."

"I have no doubt in mind that you could take care of Noah, God if I knew any better, you've been doing it for years. But you shouldn't have to Nathan; you deserve the chance to be a kid," Dean finally looked at Nathan who he could see was slightly shaking.

"Yeah, well what are you gonna do about it?" Dean knew Nathan was testing him with this statement, trying to see if Dean would go back on his promise and hit him after all. Nathan knew his father would have smacked him, or worse, if he had disrespected the older man in this manner.

"Nathan," Dean took a breath trying to cool the frustration he was feeling, "I care about you okay. For the short time I've known you I've really grown to like you boys."

"No, you don't care about us; you're just like the others. All you want to do is hunt and kill things and Noah and I are just gonna get in the way like we always do, and then what, huh? We're just gonna get hurt again, and I'm not going to let that happen!" Nathan stood up to try to walk away.

"Nathan!" Dean got up and began following Nathan, "What are you afraid of? Don't you think Noah deserves a family; don't you think you deserve real family?"

Nathan whipped around, "I have a family; It's me and Noah. We don't need a father, we haven't needed one for years, and we don't need you, Noah doesn't need you, he needs me!" Dean hesitated for a minute wondering where Nathan was going with this. Nathan had turned back around and began walking back to the house.

Dean pulled himself out of his trance and quickly caught up with Nathan. "You're right Noah's always going to need you. He trusts you more than anyone, but he needs adults to care for him, you both need adults to care for you. You shouldn't have to do this alone," seeing no response from Nathan he firmly, but carefully took hold of Nathan's shoulder, "Nathan, just wait and listen to me for a minute."

As soon as Nathan felt Dean's hand on his shoulder he turned towards the older man with a frightened expression and tried to pull away, "Get off of me."

"Nathan, just please talk to me," Dean didn't give in to the boy's relentless pulling. In actuality, Dean put his free hand on Nathan's cheek, trying to calm him down.

"Please, don't hurt me," Nathan's hands were pushing against Dean. Tears began falling down Nathan's face as he realized he was too weak to get away.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Dean pulled Nathan close to him and wrapped his arms securely around Nathan who halfheartedly continued pushing, "Stop Nathan, just calm down now. I promise no one's ever going to hurt you like that again. You're safe here." Dean kept up a continuous flow of comforting remarks as he rubbed a hand on Nathan's back. He placed his cheek on Nathan's head as he finally felt the boy begin to abate his efforts of escaping. "You're safe now; it's all going to be okay now."

Dean felt as Nathan clutched the back of his shirt tightly, sobs now racking his body. His legs gave out and Dean barely had enough time to catch him before sitting them both on the ground. Dean rocked the boy back and forth, continually muttering, "It's going to be fine now. It's alright, you're safe."

Nathan slowly quieted down, but continued to keep a tight hold on Dean. Dean continued rubbing the boy's hair and back, trying to calm him. Finally, Nathan's head was rested on Dean's chest, sniffing every now and then. Seeing that Nathan was somewhat relaxed now, Dean said, "You're gonna be safe now. I promise nothing will happen to you or Noah. You can trust me, kiddo."

"I just want to be happy," Nathan whispered after a few minutes, "I want Noah to be happy."

Dean tightened his hold and bent down to kiss the top of Nathan's head, "You will be kid, you will be."

**I **hope you guys liked this chapter. It was extremely difficult to write, but I am very proud of it. Thanks for everyone who reviewed! I love love love reviews, so keep them coming! I'll try to update soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**So…I'm sorry this chapter took too long. It was a very long and stressful week last week, but I finally got it done. I realized I didn't really describe the boys very well so, I added a short description before the chapter. **

**Nathan: 15 yrs. Old, Dark brown hair that's longer, shorter/average height for 15, skinnier, but muscular…I tried to find an actor that reminded me of Nathan and it's a vote between Josh Hutcherson and Justin Chatwin. Probably Justin's body type, but Josh's facial structure and hair and closer to Josh's height. **

**Noah: 9 yrs. Old, Light brown wavy hair that's also longer. He's short for 9, blue eyes. 4 yr. old Dean actually reminded me a lot of how I pictured Noah, and I also watched Fringe tonight and the creepy albino kid, his name's Spencer List, he reminded me of Noah except with darker hair. **

**Hope that helps! Enjoy the chapter.**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 10**

"You okay now?" Dean asked Nathan who still had his head rested in the crook of Dean's arm; the older man's arm wrapped around the teenager, soothingly rubbing up and down Nathan's arm. Dean felt Nathan shake his head 'yes', but the boy didn't loosen the grip he had on Dean's waist. "Okay, let's get up and go inside now," he stood lifting Nathan up with him.

Dean walked towards the house, keeping a comforting arm around Nathan's shoulders. Nathan was still sniffling, but let go of Dean when he saw him reach down to pick up Noah who was still sleeping on the porch swing, his little brother coming before all else. As soon as Dean had Noah in his arms, Nathan latched back onto him; Dean, feeling this, tightened his hold on both boys. He pushed on the screen door that entered into Bobby's kitchen and led both boys inside. Sam and Bobby looked up from their seats at the kitchen table and stood up to help Dean with the two boys.

"Here, take Noah," Dean passed the still sleeping Noah over to Sam who had his arms outstretched.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked as he followed Bobby up the stairs glancing at Nathan who still had his face buried in Dean's chest.

"Yeah, everything's fine, he's just tired that's all," Dean didn't want to go into full details until Nathan was asleep; he could tell the boy was still broken up about everything and on the brink of another breakdown. Dean walked into the bedroom and felt Nathan pull away when Sam laid Noah on the bed.

"Hey, kiddo, Sammy's got Noah. Why don't you get ready for bed and let us take a look at your injuries again." Nathan nodded and went over to his duffel to get out a pair of sweatpants. Dean went to help Sam change Noah and tuck him in then turned to look at Nathan. He was just standing in the middle of the room looking at his brother. He didn't know what to do. Actually being taken care of and not having to constantly watch out for the safety of his brother left Nathan feeling empty and useless and he didn't know what he was supposed to do anymore; he was lost.

"Hey, come here Nathan; let's look at your back." Nathan slowly walked over to Dean and sat beside him on the bed. Bobby walked into the room with the first-aid kit in hand and dragged a chair over to where Nathan and Dean sat. Dean placed a comforting hand on Nathan's leg when he felt the boy physically cringe at the unfamiliar presence of the older hunter.

Recent memories of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father flashed before Nathan's eyes as Bobby's hands, though gentle, turned Nathan's back close to him in order to get a better view of Nathan's injuries. Bobby quickly composed himself and readied the needed medical supplies. He filled a cotton ball with peroxide and turned back to the teenager. The stinging pain of the peroxide entering the healing wound caused Nathan to cry out in pain and latch onto Dean's shirt, "No, no," he cried. Dean unconsciously wrapped his arms around Nathan and pulled him close, running a hand through the boy's hair, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nathan cried, and Dean once again started up the constant murmur of reassurances, "You aren't doing anything wrong. You're fine," he softly spoke into Nathan's ear.

At Nathan's outburst, Bobby drew his hand away and sat back allowing Dean the space to comfort the boy, entranced by the fatherly role the eldest Winchester was now taking. Sam was leaning against the wall watching the scene with a mixture of pity for Nathan's pain and fear, but also with awe at the compassion and father-like tendencies he rarely saw escape the hardened exterior of his brother. Sure, when they were children Dean had comforted Sam when he woke up at night frightened from the nightmares that had plagued his dreams, but that Dean had long ago shut out all those "womanly" emotions, becoming the soldier John Winchester had needed. Seeing this side of Dean was a rare experience even to Sam who was around the man almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

"Would you feel more comfortable if Sam did it?" Dean quietly asked Nathan. Nathan whispered a quick yes and continued to let Dean hold and comfort him. "Sam," Dean gestured to his brother, and Sam walked over and took the cotton ball from Bobby's hand. As he placed a hand on Nathan's back he felt the boy flinch, but he didn't yell out like he had with Bobby. For the most part, Nathan remained still as Sam cleaned and dressed his healing wounds; afterwards, Sam cleaned up the medical supplies, offered Nathan a 'good-night', and left the room with Bobby.

"Okay, let's get you into bed. It's been a long day," Dean gently pushed Nathan away from him and turned to pull the covers back allowing Nathan the chance to slip inside the warm shelter of the blankets. Nathan was lying in bed staring at his stomach, "Is there something you want to ask?" Dean asked as he ran a hand over the boy's hair.

Nathan hesitated before sighing and finally looking Dean in the eye, "Do you think you could stay here until I fall asleep?"

Dean gave a small smile before answering, "Of course I will." Nathan turned onto his side trying to avoid lying on his injured back. As soon as Nathan turned to his side, Noah inched his way to his brother and let himself be curled into Nathan's protective embrace. Dean covered the boys more securely in the blankets and began running his fingers through Nathan's hair. Shortly after, Nathan drifted a peaceful sleep.

When he was positive the two boys were asleep, Dean stood up, turned the lights off and closed the door, leaving it propped open a few inches in the case that if something should happen, Dean would still be able to hear the boys. He sighed before making his way downstairs preparing himself for the conversation he knew Bobby and Sam were going to want to have. He entered the kitchen and tried to ignore Bobby's and Sam's annoying staring. He walked over to the fridge, grabbed a beer, then slowly turned to face the other men.

"What?" he asked when he saw both men looking at him.

"What the hell are you going to do with two kids, Dean?" Bobby asked getting right to the point.

"Bobby, I'm not gonna throw those kids to the dogs. They're staying with us." Sam gave Dean a worried look, and Dean sat himself down at the table, getting ready for a long talk.

"I'm not saying you should throw them to the dogs; I'm saying that if you want them, it's going to be wrong to drag them all over God's creation hunting the supernatural. It's not fair, especially what they've already been through. I can't imaging what they're father did to that boy to cause marks like those. Nathan can barely stand being around anyone, and he's only just starting to be comfortable around you. You're gonna have a lot on your hands dealing with their issues, and hunting is just going to make it worse. Do you want them to live the life you and Sam had? No kid's gonna want that."

"Well, what do you think we should do Bobby? I mean, Noah has visions, full-fledged visions. We can't just completely ignore that," Sam argued.

"No, you can't boy, but these kids deserve a home, and frankly, I think it's time you boys lived your lives and think about yourselves for once."

"What are you talking about Bobby?" Dean wondered looking at the older man suspiciously. Sam was also wondering where Bobby was going with this statement.

"I'm talking about giving up this nomadic lifestyle you boys have been living your entire lives. There's no more threat to humanity now; you stopped the apocalypse. I think you deserve the chance to live a somewhat normal life."

"Ha," Dean laughed, "Yeah, the Winchesters living a normal life. Give me a break."

"You can at least try. Try for those boys. Quit putting yourselves in danger and take a break. I know you care about those boys Dean. Buy a house, get a jb that doesn't involve killing ghosts, and take care of those boys." Dean stared thoughtfully at his beer bottle, "You boys are wiped out, just take a break."

"Can Dean and I just talk this over?" Sam asked Bobby after a minute of silence.

"Yeah, sure. It's past my bedtime anyway," Bobby chuckled, " I'll let you boys talk this over."

"Night, Bobby," Sam said as the older man left the room.

After a while, Sam turned back to Dean who was still staring pensively at his bottle. Sam cleared his throat and went to talk, but Dean began first, "Do you think we could do it?"

"Do what?"

"The infamous Winchesters settling down with two kids, living an apple pie life?"

"I think your tired," Sam admitted, "I know I'm tired, and Nathan and Noah are beginning to trust you."

"Yeah, do you think we could give it up though, the one thing we've done our entire lives?"

"Dean, are you trying to tell me that after everything we've been through, after everything you've been through, you don't want to take a break?"

"Of course I'm tired. I'm physically, mentally, and emotionally tired, but it still feels wrong to give it up."

"Well, we could hunt on the weekends if we really need to, but honestly, why should we not give this a try? Those boys are beginning to really care about you. Let's just give this a shot. We could live around here, stay close to Bobby. I can go back to school, you can get a job, why not?" Dean thought about it for a moment. What if he was a bad father, would he even be considered their father?

"I know what you're thinking Dean, and you'd be a great dad. God you basically raised me and I turned out fine."

"Yeah, minus the whole demon issues," Dean commented.

"Yeah, minus the demon issues," Sam shook his head remembering the mess that had been, "but seriously, you'd be an awesome dad. Nathan and Noah need that."

"I guess you're right. I am pretty awesome," Dean joked. "So," Dean looked up at Sam, "you're really ready to do this? Start a new life?"

"I'm up for it if you are."

"Okay," Dean sighed a smile making his way onto his face, "let's do it then."

* * *

Nathan opened his eyes and saw two big blue pairs staring back at him. He smiled back at his brother who was shaking from the strain of holding his laughs in.

"What's so funny?" Nathan teasingly questioned.

"You were snoring," Noah replied, eyes still shining.

"Oh, and you found that funny?"

"No," Noah shook his head.

"Oh, you didn't did you? Well, maybe you'll find this funny," Nathan rolled over to sit on top of his brother, being careful not to actually put pressure on the small boy and began tickling him.

"No, Nathan, stop, stop!" Noah laughed, gasping for air while his brother continued tickling him; he squirmed around trying to get out from under Nathan's attack.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"Stop Nathan!" Nathan finished by blowing a raspberry on Noah's stomach. "Ha ha!" Noah panted for air as Nathan rolled off of him and sat down beside him, smiling down at his baby brother. Both boys looked up as the door creaked open. Dean slowly walked in, being careful not to frighten the boys too much, especially Nathan who had tensed up at the sight of the eldest Winchester.

"Hey, boys. You ready for some breakfast," Noah sat up in bed and shook his head excitedly up and down. "Cmon, then," he stood aside as the two boys made their way out of the room. Noah walked more confidently than Nathan who still looked nervous being around Dean, but Dean placed his hand on the teen's shoulder as he made his way out of the room and was excited when the boy didn't pull away.

"Good-morning," Sam told Nathan and Noah when they walked in.

"'Morning," Nathan and Noah said when they entered. Sam saw Noah greedily eyeing the stack of French Toast that was on the kitchen table. "Dig in kiddo, take whatever you want," Sam told him. Noah excitedly sat down at the table, grabbed a plate and a piece of French Toast, and smothered it with maple syrup. Before digging in, Noah looked over at Nathan who was still standing by the door and pointed at his breakfast, "Eat," he told him.

Dean chuckled, "You better listen to him," he nudged Nathan's shoulder and the teen sat at the table and fixed himself breakfast. Dean chanced a quick grin over at Sam, happy that the boy was beginning to loosen up around them.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, both of the Winchesters were worried about how the boys were going to react to the news. Bobby entered the kitchen shortly after breakfast started. He still wasn't sure about what Dean and Sam had chosen to do, but he hoped by the nervous expressions on their faces, that they decided to slow down.

"So," Dean said after he was finished, Nathan and Noah looked up unexpectedly from their plates, "we have a question for you boys."

"Yeah?" Nathan hesitantly asked.

"Um…" Dean didn't know how to ask this question.. He had no idea how the boys were going to react. Why was this so hard for him?

Luckily, Sam saw the anxiousness on his brother's face and decided to ask the question for him. "We were wondering if you boys would like to live with us? We're going to take a break from hunting full-time and buy a house around here and settle down." Sam didn't miss the accepting nod Bobby gave at this announcement.

Noah looked over at his brother who looked stunned, "You want to keep us?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, we do, but only if you want to," Dean finally spoke up. He was looking at Nathan's face, afraid of the kid's reaction.

"How would you explain us to people?" Nathan asked quietly.

Dean began to say something, but Sam quickly cut him off, "Well, we'd tell people that I was your uncle and Dean would act as your father…if that's okay?"

Seeing Nathan hesitate, Dean looked at him, put his hand on top of Nathan's and said, "I promise you, I would never hurt you like your father did, and I will never let anyone hurt you like that again." Nathan rushed over to Dean and through his arms around the man, Dean returned the hug and heard Nathan whisper in his ear, "Promise?"

"Of course I promise," Dean said, placing a hand on Nathan's head.

"Does that mean we get to be Winchesters?" Noah asked.

Bobby chuckled and replied, "Unfortunately, yes."

"Yay!" Noah launched himself into Dean's lap and joined in on his brother's hug. Nathan wrapped an arm around Noah and kissed him on the top of his head.

"We're safe now, buddy," and for once, Nathan believed it.

**The End**

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**So, this was the final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed the story. I also hope the chapter didn't suck too badly because for some reason I found it extremely difficult to get through. Please please please review. I loved the responses I got from the last chapter, and I wanted to thank everyone that reviewed consistently. It really made my day. **

**YEAH FOR SEQUELS! I WILL be writing a sequel, I'm just not sure what it'll be called yet. Hopefully, I'll have the first chapter up in a few days. I am super excited to write it and have so many ideas! I feel like it's going to be twice as long as this story, so that's a plus. Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks again for all the reviews! The sequel is now out called SHADOW FOLLOWS LIGHT!!! Please read and review!!!**


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